IDG News Service - VMware is no longer a member of the Java Community Process SE/EE Executive Committee, but Twitter has joined, according to election results finalized this week.
Azul Systems, maker of the Zing Java virtual machine, also won an open seat on the JCP board, which oversees and fosters the development of the open-source programming language. Ericsson, SAP and Intel were re-elected to ratified seats.
In addition, IBM, Nokia and SK Telecom gained re-election to ratified seats on the Java ME committee, while ARM Limited and Werner Keil won open seats.
VMware remains significantly invested in Java through its SpringSource division, which sells a range of products for Java application development and deployment.
Some 23% of eligible members cast votes in the election, according to a post on Oracle's official Aquarium blog this week. "That's much more than the 11% seen for the 2011 EC Special Election but probably less than what one could hope for," the post reads.
Oracle gained control of Java through the purchase of Sun Microsystems. It holds a permanent seat on the committee but is prevented from "dominating" the JCP, according to a FAQ document.
"Oracle, and the other Executive Committee (EC) members, serve as technology oversight groups for the work of the Expert Groups," it states. "The ECs do not micro-manage the day-to-day workings of Expert Groups. Rather, the ECs have the opportunity to review the work of each Expert Group at well-defined points as their specifications proceed through the JCP."
Still, Oracle has aggressively defended its stake in Java through actions like its lawsuit against Google over alleged Java intellectual-property violations in the Android mobile OS.
And in the past, some have alleged Oracle has tried to exact behind-the-scenes influence over JCP elections.
The JCP also lost high-profile members such as the Apache Software Foundation, which left due to what it saw as undue control by Oracle over Java.
Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris's e-mail address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com
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